Alameda okays multifamily housing after four-decade ban

This Clinton Avenue building was constructed at more than 40 units per acre. City of Alameda photo.

The City Council on Tuesday approved new zoning rules allowing the development of multifamily housing in Alameda for the first time since Measure A passed in 1973. The vote was 4-1, with Councilman Doug deHaan casting the lone “no” vote.

The approval comes as the state has exerted increasing control over local housing development and as cities have lost lawsuits over development restrictions.

The new multifamily housing zoning will be applied to 10 properties slated for housing development and were approved as part of a new housing element to be included in the city’s general plan. The element lays out how much housing can be built in Alameda and where, and Alameda’s has been out of compliance with state law since 1991 primarily due to the city’s development limits, correspondence between the city and the state Housing and Community Development department shows.

“In the end, what the hard work of the staff has led to is something that is a common-sense and pragmatic and practical approach,” Vice Mayor Rob Bonta said.

DeHaan said the city has already taken steps to ensure affordable housing is built, though city staffers argued those steps weren’t enough to appease state housing officials who refused to okay prior housing elements the city submitted. DeHaan also questioned whether the city did enough to notify residents about its plans, prompting an angry response from City Manager John Russo, who said city staff did plenty to keep residents informed.

Andrew Thomas, the city’s top planner, said the council needed to approve a new housing element in order to qualify for millions in state transportation funds and to avoid lawsuits that have snagged other communities that have restricted housing development in violation of state law.